Monster
by Seren Maris
Summary: "Dru promised nobody would get hurt. I guess no one was, except for me." Bridge/Dru/Sky darkfic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've decided to break with personal tradition and put my author note at the beginning. Thank you in advance for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story. Please take a moment to review; I really appreciate it!

* * *

**Monster (1/3)**

* * *

_There was a scar behind his left ear, buried beneath unruly brown hair, and Bridge couldn't remember how he got it. He walked his finger along it, prodding, testing, exploring the jagged landscape of an undiscovered wound._

_Another excruciating headache was beginning its slow march across his skull. They came often now, to the point where the pain was a daily fixture. He tried to ignore it, to push past and, when that failed, to draw strength from within it. At the end of everything, he was functional… barely. On his better days, he was good enough, and good enough was something Cruger and Kat were prepared to accept. There was something off about that, but every time he focused on his doubts, they slipped away like sand through his fingers._

_Post-traumatic amnesia, Kat called it, even as a different phrase danced on the tip of her tongue. He had fought Dru Harrington — Sky's former friend turned assassin — and lost. The scar was only the most visible consequence of their battle. He remembered how Dru moved faster and struck harder than any human. He never even had a chance to morph. He remembered fighting without any real hope of winning, trying to hold out for a second, just one more second, until help would arrive._

_He remembered falling._

_Oddly enough, there was no pain, no fear. Not when he battled Dru, and not even when he woke in the infirmary to find that twenty-two days had been obliterated from his memory. It was better this way. Some things were best not to think about, and certainly not to feel. That was Kat's advice, and he tried. They all did. He tiptoed each day on the event horizon between thinking and not-thinking, feeling and not-feeling, while his friends did their best to forget something that, try as he might, he couldn't remember._

_He had forgotten so many things. The other day, Sky offhandedly mentioned a classmate at the Academy. Bridge was appalled to realize that he had forgotten them so thoroughly, it was as if they never existed. There were battles he couldn't remember fighting, arrest records he didn't remember signing, awards he didn't remember earning. His mind was a jigsaw puzzle and, in his most lucid moments, he could almost remember where the pieces were meant to fit._

_It had always been this way. Or had it? Memory was unreliable; events and experiences tottered on crumbling foundations. One thing was certain — there had always been pain. There had always been loss, and sacrifice. His fingers traced the scar one last time. Maybe he had suffered more than most, but when all was said and done, the Commander was still alive._

_And that had to be good enough._

* * *

The most important mission of his career, and Sky is late. Far too late, because the dimensional reconstruction process has already begun. He feels it in the way the air crackles with electricity and his skin crawls, like a thousand insects burrow underneath.

It is the work of a moment to confine criminals to their two-dimensional prisons, but it takes a specialized facility, tapped into the molten heart of an exo-planet, to reverse the process. Sky had the entire trip from the Pegasi colony to rehearse this conversation, to practice how he would talk Bridge out of this insanity, how he would convince him to come home.

The door to the control room is unlocked. Bridge has his back turned, all his attention focusing on the reconstruction beam, where a hazy shape has already begun to take form. In that moment, Sky has a clear shot of both Bridge and the central computer. His first shameful impulse is to destroy the computer, interrupting the reconstruction process. Cold-blooded murder, yes, but if anyone in the galaxy deserves to be disintegrated at the atomic level, it is Dru Harrington.

The logical, level-headed option is a non-fatal wound to incapacitate Bridge, and then another to disable Dru once he materializes. It is what Cruger expects him to do.

Sky hesitates, and the moment slips past. Bridge turns to face him. The green ranger is not surprised to see him. They know each other too well for surprises.

"Hello, Sky," Bridge says, his voice uncharacteristically cool. "Where are the others?"

"They refused to come." Sky had never seen the Commander so angry, but nothing would move Jack once the red ranger made up his mind. They had done enough; more than enough, Syd said, and Z agreed. When Sky volunteered, all three stared at him, their eyes filled with disgust and loathing.

Bridge nods. "I see. So that's why Cruger made you red ranger. You must be happy."

"Not particularly." He doesn't want the red morpher. Not under these circumstances. The shape in the reconstruction beam begins to look vaguely humanoid. "Bridge, don't do this. You're not yourself right now."

"No, I am." Bridge sighs, and Sky notices the green ranger is not wearing gloves. "I remember now. I remember everything."

* * *

_The first time, he was tinkering with a gadget in his dorm. He woke mid-stride on the exercise track, out of breath and heart pounding, running as if he was being chased, hunted by unseen foes._

_The next time was worse. One moment he was being briefed by Cruger, and the next he was six blocks from Headquarters, standing alone on the sidewalk, chilled to the bone and dripping wet._

_Once, he ate an entire loaf of buttered toast without knowing it, the only evidence a dirty plate and an empty bread bag. Another time, he woke and his morpher was gone. Cruger had every right to demote him for his carelessness, but he received only a mild reprimand._

_He lived in constant fear that he would black out during a battle, and do something none of them would live to regret. He hid his episodes as best he could. He came close to telling Kat so many times, but some instinct compelled him to stay silent, even though secrets were dangerous. Perhaps _because_ secrets were dangerous._

_When he closed his eyes, he dreamed of lost time._

* * *

"What did Dru do to you?" Sky demands, even as a cold pit of fear grows in his stomach. If Bridge remembered everything, then he might be beyond saving. If he remembered everything, then for the first time in a hundred and forty seven years, Kat had been completely, horribly, tragically wrong.

"He showed me the truth," Bridge says, as if it were obvious. Then he adds, "well, not really. He told me. It was Kat and Cruger who did all the showing."

Sky straightens. "Dru's a criminal and a monster." He could now make out the outline of limbs within the reconstruction beam. He has five minutes, maybe less. "All he ever did was lie. You can't believe anything he has to say."

"I didn't believe him," Bridge explains. His eyes lose focus, staring through Sky back into memories. "Not at first. Actually, I didn't even recognize him…" (TBC)


	2. Chapter 2

**Monster (2/3)**

* * *

_"Pathetic," the monster muttered, as it ground a clawed foot into Jack's chest. "I expected more from Cruger's best."_

_As the monster moved to stomp again on the fallen red ranger, Bridge stumbled to his feet and charged. He was no match for it. None his team were, not as they were now; unmorphed, battered, all too human._

_The monster swatting him aside like a fly. Everything went dim when he hit the ground, the frightened shouts of his friends fading to a faraway whisper. He felt, rather than heard, the pounding of footsteps, and then Bridge was yanked to his feet._

_The monster pulled him close and activated a hidden device. Gravity trembled. The pavement beneath their feet crumbled to grains of glittering sand, and then they were tumbling into the darkness of space. Bridge closed his eyes and let himself fall._

* * *

_He was in trouble. That much was certain, even without opening his eyes. Bridge inched his fingers along the slab floor, feeling, sensing. The room was empty, bare to the walls. His kidnapper had long since departed, leaving only a faint aura trace behind. Even fainter was the impression of booted feet that criss-crossed the floor. Another prisoner? A co-conspirator? Human, or humanoid, at any rate. Beyond that…_

_Silence. Gone were the the city sounds, the mental and emotional chatter of eleven million minds. There was water nearby, teeming with primitive life. Salty and endless; the ocean, Bridge realized. He was hundreds, if not thousands, of miles from Newtech City._

_Bridge forced himself upright, only to double over in agony. His insides felt they like had been excised, twisted, and put back in all the wrong places. He tried not to think about vomiting as the room spun. Bridge took an unsteady step only to lurch to the side. There was a kaleidoscopic flash of light, and the monster caught him before he fell._

_"The teleporter isn't made for humans," his kidnapper rumbled, in a voice that resonated beneath his skin. Bridge flinched away like he had been burned._

_He tried to piece together his scattered perceptions. This monster was different, somehow. There was something familiar about its aura. He had overlooked it in the chaos of battle, but there was something in the distinctive texture, the ever-shifted iridescence…_

_"Dru?"_

_"So you do recognize me." The monster cracked his neck, a painful, popping sound, once on each side, before shifting into human form. The Tangarian's mouth quirked into the arrogant smirk which Bridge remembered so well._

_Bridge gaped. "How...?"_

_Dru shrugged. "Tangarians, as a whole, are a secretive species. Not all of us can shape-shift, but it's not unheard of."_

_"Why, then?" He thought of the battle, the fierce joy Dru had taken in pounding his team into the dust. "You… you hurt my friends. You hurt Sky."_

_"I'm sorry." The apology was genuine, and Bridge was so shocked all he could do was stare."Really, I am, but I couldn't exactly walk up to headquarters and ask you to come with me."_

_Dru had risked a great deal to bring him here. That much was clear. If — when — Dru was confined, he would face decades confinement, not to mention an official inquiry into his disappearance._

_"What do you want, Dru? Money?" Bridge guessed. "Information? Revenge?" Revenge. It had to be revenge, because at those words a light appeared in his former classmate's eyes._

_Dru spread his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Right now, I just want to talk."_

_"Why should I listen to anything you have to say? You kidnapped me. You were demoted and transferred to the Nebula Academy by Cruger himself."_

_"Did Cruger tell you the real reason I was transferred?"_

_Bridge hesitated. Cruger was the heart and soul of S.P.D. Earth, and had led B-squad to victory in countless battles. He owed Cruger his team, his friends and his powers, so as far as he was concerned, the Commander had earned the right to his secrets. If Cruger chose not to share something, there was probably good reason._

_"You endangered another cadet," Bridge said. It was the official report, even though there were whispers of another, more scandalous reason. "You would have been expelled, but the Commander thought you had potential. He convinced the Nebula Academy to give you a second chance."_

_"Oh, yes," Dru said, his fists clenched at his sides. "Cruger was so merciful." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "The real reason I was expelled was for breaking regulation 401d."_

_"Fraternization between cadets. Who…?" He already knew. And there was only one reason Dru would still be so bitter and angry, after all these years. "You still love him."_

_"I'll always love Sky," Dru admitted. "Tangarians only love once. It's our nature."_

_This conversation was painting an ugly picture. "Cruger knew that, and he sent you away?" No wonder Dru hated them all. Their Commander had stolen his soul-mate. The thought made Bridge's chest ache in a peculiar way, but he pushed the feeling away, as he had countless times before._

_Dru was watching him closely. "I wanted Sky to be happy," the alien said, "even if it wasn't with me." He sighed. "Even if it was with you."_

_Bridge stammered out a denial, but Dru waved it away. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. After all, It's just a crush, a wild fantasy..." and his eyes hardened, "because Cruger will never, ever, allow it. Not for either of us. Not when it means losing his best ranger._

_You see, Cruger explained everything to me. Sky had a mission, a purpose, and no distractions would be tolerated. Sky was going to save the world, and nothing else mattered. Some people, he said, weren't meant to be happy."_

* * *

"The Commander made the right choice," Sky says, but the words are stiff. Even for him. "This is who I am."

"Do you remember when we first met?" Bridge asks. Things seemed so simple back then, so black-and-white. "Everyone was afraid of my powers, except for you. You stood up for me against all those cadets. You even stood up for me against Cruger. The old Sky did what he though was right, no matter what the rules said." He gives a sad smile. "Before Dru left, you were actually fun."

"Everyone changes." Sky glances at the reconstruction beam, where the sculpted features of a face have begun to take shape. The computer beeps an alert, the three minute warning. "I grew up."

"You can still choose differently," Bridge says quietly. "It's not too late."

Three minutes, if he's lucky.

* * *

_"Do you remember Galactic History 101?" Dru asked._

_Bridge nodded. He wished he knew where this was going. Sky extorted the virtues of predictability, but Bridge had always felt a little uncertainty was a good thing. Except in situations like this, where his life hung in the balance._

_Dru continued. "There was an entire section on Cruger, the brilliant and self-sacrificing Commander who traveled to Earth to prevent a repeat of what happened on his planet. But while Cruger has holed up here, Gruumm has devastated countless planets across the galaxy, right?"_

_"I suppose." The alien population on Earth had skyrocketed over the past decade for that very reason, to the point where thousands of refugees were turned away each day._

_"This is your planet, so tell me: what makes Earth so special? What makes Earth different from Cigno or Aladon or even Dr. Manx's planet, Felis?_

_"Earth has rich resources." Another factoid from the Academy. "Cruger knew that Gruumm would eventually come here, so this is where he chose to fight."_

_"What resources does Earth have which countless other planets, moons and asteroids lack? Diamonds… uranium… titanium? As far as I can tell, the only resources your planet has is an excess of Power Rangers."_

_Dru began to pace, gesturing as he walked. "No, Cruger knew wherever he was, Gruumm would follow. Gruumm will never forget that Cruger took his horn. Earth is simply where Cruger chose to make his last stand, to wage his personal war. He never cared about humanity. He still doesn't. The only thing Cruger cares about is revenge."_

_"That's not true."_

_"Isn't it?" Dru countered, with a sardonic smile. "If Cruger truly cared about you or your backwater planet, he would have gone into hiding. Instead he chases rumors about Power Rangers all the way across the galaxy, hires five human scientists to make five weapons, and here you are."_

_"I'm more than that," Bridge said, even though he had wondered the same thing countless times. Their parents, their powers and the threads of five disparate lives, scattered across the galaxy only to be brought together fifteen years later. It was more than coincidence. It had to be._

_"Yes, you are," Dru replied, with surprising gentleness, "but not to Cruger. To Cruger, the war was never about saving the Earth. You owe your purpose, your entire existence, to a severed horn and a dead woman from a dead world."_

_Bridge swallowed the lump in his throat. "Is that why you kidnapped me? To tell me how meaningless my life and friends are?"_

_"No. I brought you here because I thought you would understand. You're not like Sky. You can't live a lie."_

_"You don't know anything about me."_

_"I know enough. I know about your powers, about what you can do. I know that even your so-called friends are afraid of you."_

* * *

"I'm not afraid." Sky is wary, and tells himself there is a difference. "I proved that a long time ago."

The most frightening thing about Bridge, Sky knows, is not his powers. It is the monumental failure he represents, the kind of failure that destroys careers and lives, destroys friendships. That's why Sky is here, all alone, two hundred and ninety billion miles from Earth.

"Everyone changes," Bridge says, echoing Sky's earlier words. "Back then, you had no secrets, nothing to be ashamed of. Things are different now. You say you're not afraid..." the psychic holds out his bare hand, palm upturned. "Prove it."

* * *

_Dru circled closer. He reminded Bridge of a predator, closing in on its prey._

_"Can you really live with that doubt? You're not like your friends; you didn't join S.P.D. to avoid prison or to live up to your father's reputation. You enlisted because you wanted to do the right thing. Can you really follow a commander who is willing to do anything to destroy Gruumm, even if it means sacrificing - not just your or my life - but the lives of everyone on this planet? By the way, this isn't idle speculation," Dru added, as Bridge remained silent, "I can prove it. But I need your help."_

_Bridge stepped away, never turning his back on Dru. "I'd have to be even crazier than anyone thinks to help you."_

_"Because you don't trust me." Dru grinned as if he had said something amusing._

_"Because you're a monster. And a criminal. And a liar." And probably countless other things Bridge preferred not to think about._

_Dru tilted his head back and laughed. "Such cruel words for a former friend!"_

_"We were never friends," Bridge said._

_Dru sobered. "No, I guess we weren't," the monster admitted. His gaze dropped to Bridge's gloved hands. "There is one way to know if I'm telling the truth..."_

_Bridge shuddered. If they touched, he would know everything Dru was, everything he could be, as if the other man were part of himself. He would never be certain, ever again, where his thoughts and emotions ended and Dru's began. "You don't want that. If I touch you, I'll know all your plans. Your fears... your secrets. Everything."_

_"I'm not like your friends. I know who I am. I have nothing to hide from you or anyone else, and I'm not afraid," Dru challenged. "Are you?_

* * *

A violent tremor shakes his outstretched hand. Sky lets his arm drop, his face burning with shame.

"Did you know Tangarians are mildly telepathic?" Bridge asks, calm as if they are discussing the weather.

"No." Sky admits, in a defeated voice.

"Me neither. I knew right after we touched, of course. As I said, after that I knew everything Dru knew, or thought he knew. Everything he felt about Cruger, about the Academy… about you. No matter what else he might be, Dru isn't a killer."

"Bridge, he tried to kill Cruger."

"You don't have to lie anymore, Sky. I tried to kill Cruger. It's true, even if I don't remember all of it. Dru chose me because he knew I would fail." (TBC)


	3. Chapter 3

**Monster (3/3)**

* * *

"Listen, Bridge," Sky begins, with less than a minute left. "I don't know what Dru did to you…"

"It wasn't Dru," Bridge says. He looks miserable. "Telepathic suggestion doesn't work that way. His plan wouldn't have succeeded if I hadn't wanted it, at least subconsciously. Kat understood. So did Cruger."

"I don't believe that." Sky didn't believe it back then and refuses to believe it now. "Dru manipulated you. He's still manipulating you!"

"And you lied to me, about everything," Bridge says flatly. Angry tears prick his eyes, and he wipes them away with his sleeve. "I started to remember. Small things at first; flashes of memories… scents… dreams. But I might never have caught on if it wasn't for you and Cruger. You treated me like I was made of glass, and Cruger — no matter how many mistakes I made — looked the other way. That was what gave it away, in the end. Because when has the Commander ever been satisfied with good enough?"

* * *

_Everything was different, and he wished more than anything that things could go back to the way they were. It was a vague desire, equal parts sentiment and magical thinking, because he couldn't quite remember what was different, or what had changed. _

_Maybe his friends had changed. Maybe he was the one who had changed._

_"It's just a feeling," Kat told him. "It's probably best to ignore it." What she wanted to say was that curiosity had its limits; that some things were better not to know._

_Everything was different._

* * *

"It was Kat's idea," Sky confesses. "She said it would fix you, so everything could go back to normal. We didn't know how it worked, at least not at first. Or maybe we didn't want to. But Cruger convinced us it was the only way…"

"To save the team."

"To save you! We didn't know what else to do. All you had to do was testify against Dru and the case would have been closed, but you wouldn't." Bitterness creeps into his voice. "You said Dru was innocent, and you were willing to go to prison to prove it. What were we supposed to do, let you sacrifice your career and maybe even your life just to protect some scumbag?"

"So Kat modified my memories." Bridge shivered, and seemed to curl in on himself. "And everyone just agreed to this?"

"Jack objected. He didn't think we should all become criminals… not even for you." It was quite ironic, in retrospect.

"What did Cruger say?"

"He said that we all had to make sacrifices. It was for your own good. It was for all of us."

* * *

_Sky didn't understand. He could he?_

_Sky didn't know what it was like to feel damaged, incomplete like an unfinished song. He had never woke covered with sweat, wondering if everything he knew was a lie. He had never balanced on the roof of Headquarters and, as the cold stars and city lights blinked down, wondered what it would be like to shatter._

_Sky had never wanted to let himself fall._

* * *

"Those were my memories. My choices!" Bridge shouts. It is almost an animal cry, full of pain and anguish. Kat turned him into a shadow, a ghost of a life that no longer existed, while his friends simply stood by. "You had no right to steal them from me!"

"I know," Sky says. His shoulders slump. "But at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do… the only thing to do."

Bridge looks at his former friend with new eyes. When did Sky stop believing in justice, in doing the right thing at any cost? The old Sky would have fought for him, even if it meant sacrificing their careers.

The old Sky would have found another way.

"I believed in you," Bridge says slowly, "but I guess Dru knew you better, after all."

* * *

"Dru deserved what he got." Sky believes that with every fiber of his being. "For what he did to you, if nothing else. Kat and Cruger will also be held accountable for their crimes."

The words sounds hollow even to his ears.

"By you?" Bridge asks with a small, sad smile. "No, Cruger has come too far, sacrificed too much to be answerable to anyone. Besides, humanity needs him to win the war. Nobody can lead S.P.D. Earth as well as Cruger and Kat."

"Then when the war is done…"

"Would you wait? If you were me?"

Four seconds. Three seconds. Sky is silent for too long.

The reconstruction beam brightens until it fills the room. The mechanical hum rises in tandem, straining towards a blinding crescendo of light and sound. He can barely see the outline of Dru, glowing like the sun, before everything plunges into darkness.

It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust. Dru steps forward and stretches, cat-like.

"Did I miss something?" the criminal drawls, looking between the two rangers.

Sky has his blaster out in an instant. "Dru." He fills the word with as much loathing as he can muster. His finger trembles on the trigger. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you."

"Because some people," Dru says, his mouth curving into a slow grin, "aren't meant to be happy."

He fires.

* * *

There is no blood. There never is.

Bullets, after all, are messy, barbaric relics from an earlier age. Instead there is searing light, the power of the sun distilled to a single point. Someone cries out. It might even have been him, but it is Bridge who goes pale and staggers, clutching his chest.

Dru darts forward. The criminal steadies Bridge and, at the same time, pulls the other ranger in front as a shield. Bridge's blaster appears in his hand.

"… and I win again," Dru says. His eyes sparkle with boyish glee. The Tangarian has never looked more handsome than now, when he is flushed with victory.

Sky despises himself for noticing. "This isn't a game, Dru."

"Of course," Dru agrees. He takes a step forward, dragging his hostage — or was it accomplice? — with him. "That's why you're going to put the blaster down. Slowly."

He can make the shot, if he aims to kill. It was risky, but if Dru moves an inch to the left…

"Sky, don't," Bridge manages. His hand is pressed over the wound, a precise circle of charred fabric and blackened flesh. His breaths are shallow and labored. Internal damage, Sky guesses, probably a punctured lung. Even so, Bridge is lucky. Two inches to the left, and the beam would have pierced his heart.

"You wouldn't want to hurt him any more than you already have, would you?" Dru adds, his voice smooth and soft as satin. "Put the blaster down."

Sky hesitates before carefully lowering his blaster to the floor.

"Good choice." The hand gripping Bridge thickens and elongates, the fingertips forming into sharpened points. Flesh gives way to a carapace of blue and gold as Dru the man transforms into Dru the monster. "Now, kick it over here."

Sky obeys.

Dru — Giganis — steps on the blaster. It crunches beneath his foot, shattering as if it were a toy.

"I'll find you," Sky vows. This is worse than Gamma Orion, worse than anything Mirloc ever did. "Even if it takes the rest of my life."

"I'm counting on it," Dru says. He moves toward the door, taking Bridge with him. "It would be an awfully boring universe if we never met again, don't you think?"

"Dru, please…" It is little more than a broken whisper. "Let him go."

Dru seems amused. "I think it's up to him, don't you?"

Bridge unclips his morpher, each movement stiff and over-controlled. The morpher slips from his fingers and clatters to the floor as his feet. He makes no move to retrieve it.

"Go home, Sky," Bridge says. The words seem to sap the last of his strength. He leans heavily against Dru. "Tell Cruger… we were… already gone."

Sky watches them leave. There is nothing else he can do. The building shakes as a spaceship — his ship, because he sabotaged the other — disconnects from the dock. In thirty seconds, Dru will activate the hyperdrive. After a day, maybe even two or three, a retrieval team will arrive in the Pegasi system. By then, Dru and Bridge could be anywhere in the known galaxy. Bridge's injuries will slow them down, but not enough.

He picks up the abandoned morpher. Sooner or later they will need a new green ranger and permanent pilot for the Delta 3 zord. They'll need a mechanical genius, an inventor, an eccentric outsider who can bring new tactics and perspectives to the team. Someone who can encourage compromise between four stubborn, strong-willed cadets; someone expressive and empathic, who can look beyond first impressions to find good, however deeply buried, in others. They need Bridge, and Cruger was right all along.

Some people truly are irreplaceable.

His grip tightens on the morpher until his knuckles turn white. Fury seizes him, and he hurls the morpher against the wall.

"Damn it!"

~the end~

* * *

_A/N: Please review; I really appreciate it and it only takes a second!_


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